Page 43 of Devil on Skates
“Irina, where are you? What’s going on? Please just tell me you’re okay. Whatever happened, we can figure it out. Just call me.” The desperation in my voice would usually embarrass me, but right now, it feels like it barely scratches the surface of how panicked I actually am.
She wouldn’t have left me because I ruined my chances today, right? Whether I go pro or not has nothing to do with how she feels about me. Or at least I hope so.
Fuck!
I rake my hand through my hair. What if something happened to her? I check the news, but there’s nothingabout any accidents or anything. Every hour brings another unanswered message and another fruitless search of places where we’d been together, my hope getting crushed when a phone notification turns out to be someone else. No one I contact has seen her after the game.
A text from my dad pops up.
Fix this or I’ll disown you.
Earlier, the message would get me worried. But now? It’s just background noise compared to the hole that Irina’s disappearance left inside me.
Morning comes, and I go all the way to her campus. Her usual study spots are taken by strangers, and her classes are full of people who know me from hockey but don’t know where she’s been.
In the afternoon, I’m about to do something I never thought I would and go straight to her dad’s house when my phone buzzes.
It’s a new social media post from Irina. Her account that was quiet for weeks is suddenly active. When my gaze falls on the image she put up, my eyes widen, my breath getting knocked out of me. She’s smiling next to Keith, his arm casually draped over her shoulder.
Back together. Some connections are worth second chances.
It’s what it says in the caption. I stare at it, trying to figure out if it’s real or fake. They’re in some fancy restaurant, enjoying their meal and looking like one of those annoyingly perfect couples.
For a few moments I just blink, unsure what’s happening. But then heat surges through my chest, my hands balling into fists, and all I can hear is the rush of blood in my ears. Without really thinking, I go back to my own campus.
Once there, I head straight to the area where Keith’s dorm room—that’s actually a luxury suite—is.
I have to sneak past the security and find the information about his room, but once I get to his door, I don’t hesitate. I bang hard enough to make the door rattle.
He opens it with an annoyed look on his face. “What are you—?”
I push past him, scanning the room for any sign of Irina. She’s nowhere in sight, and her things aren’t here either.
“Where is she?” I demand.
Keith calmly shuts the door, as if he’s got all the power here. “I’m calling security if you don’t leave right now.”
“Where. Is. Irina?” I say it slowly, making sure my tone shows just how serious I am.
“Why do you care?”
I grab him by the collar of his shirt, shoving him against the wall. “What did you do to her? How’d you make her come back to you?”
“I didn’t do anything,” he says, fear flickering in his eyes. “She came back on her own and said she made a mistake. I thought she told you.”
None of what he’s saying fits the Irina I know. She’s been so sure about what she doesn’t want, so this sudden change doesn’t add up.
“I don’t believe you,” I snarl, tightening my grip.
Before he can say anything, security bursts through the door, pulling me away from him.
“If you hurt her,” I shout as they drag me away, “I swear I’ll make you pay!”
Keith straightens his collar as if this is all beneath him. “Get help, Gallagher. This obsession’s not healthy. She chose me. Get over it.”
The door shuts on his smug face as they escort me out. Their warnings about trespassing fade behind the roar of anger andfear in my head. None of this makes sense. Nothing lines up with the Irina I thought I knew.
But her stuff is gone from my room and she posted that image of her with Keith. She’s vanished from my life without a word and left me wondering if I did something wrong.
